Mo's AP Lang Blog

[mohiuddin-baig]

Picking, Reading, Researching, and Writing about  THE HOBBIT

I’m a little late to the party (a lot late actually), so let’s take care of this all at the same time. 

Picking

Picking my work was super duper hard to do. I’m generally a very picky reader (bad habit, can’t drop it...yet). I was one of the last people to actually pick my work, partially because all I could think of was works that were relatively mainstream given their age, which were picked up by others very quickly. I had one book in mind that I could choose and fall back on, if I really, REALLY needed to, but I didn’t like that it was so new compared to the other books of literary merit that everyone else was reading. After looking around I finally had a breakthrough and came across The Hobbit. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it earlier! This is one of the most popular fantasy novels ever written! AND NO ONE PICKED IT!!! I had never read it before, but I was more than willing to. Considering it’s popularity, I guessed I would have little to no issue finding criticisms. 

Reading

Reading the work was something that took a few days so that I could really appreciate it. I picked up on little pokes at humour that Tolkien worked in, his addressing the reader, and the certain repetitive traits of their journeys, such as their constant hunger, often finding themselves in a pickle but having enough luck to find a solution and/or savior, and Bilbo’s longing for his hobbit hole. Overall it was an enjoyable read that I think went by all too quickly. I am extremely motivated to the LOTR series now when I find time. One bad thing though, I highlighted certain portions, but found it hard to stop and analyze anything to an annotation level. I later went back and annotated portions that I identified as important and content rich. 

Researching

So Viraj and I went to Kresge Library during a weekend, either April 23rd or 24th. That day I found a lot more than I expected. My online search showed many results, but I was skeptical of how many would work for my research. Once I actually got to level 3 and looked at the bookshelf I was RELIEVED! There was so much to work from. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make copies because my OU ID person wasn’t registered for any courses and didn’t have those privileges (*facepalm*). I ended up scanning around 200 pages worth of information using my phone and a wonderful app called CamScanner. I later exported those to PDFs and have been using them.

Writing

I’m currently at that writing stage, and I should have started earlier...yeah, here’s comes the “I TOLD YOU SO!” It is what it is. I don’t think that what I have is too bad to be honest. I definitely have some more to work on but I think I can accomplish my goal. So here I am working out my general intro and making sure I have my sources lined up. God willing this will go well, or my willing this will go well since you might prefer that Kreinbring ;) . But I digress... There is still a lot to be done, but I can assure you or anyone really that I have maintained quality while writing and responding to the project’s requirements, at least to the best of my understanding and ability. 

As Bilbo Baggins might say,  “ Out of the Frying-Pan, into the Fire.”

[mohiuddin-baig]

Aunts

Ever thought about why they’re called aunts? It seems to me like they’re trying to provide an illusion of motherliness and authority while staying distanced from the handmaids, hence use of the word aunt. The thing I find crazy about the aunts is that they have no idea of inherent morality. It’s pretty obvious that you’re oppressing someone when you’re using a cattle prod on them, beating them nearly to death. The aunts are always in denial, accepting their actions as righteous. In class when the aunts were put on the hot seat, we even found them writing off their actions as following orders. Stop. This was something that we never noticed or thought of until we added the element of human personality, until we let someone act as an aunt under criticism. If the aunts ever lost power and were held accountable for their actions, they would say they were just following orders. Many Nazis did the same thing once the reich fell and the Nuremberg trials started. To connect to another text, Dussander had a moment in Apt Pupil where he wrote off his actions as following orders, before he fully embraced them once again. It’s a common occurrence recognized throughout history. When people lost power, they can no longer subjugate others, and will deny ever doing so in order to save their asses. Otherwise, they will continue and accept their actions as genuine, so long as they are safe in power. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Marthas: Do they have it better?

Listening to students take on the character as their identity and respond to questions really put it into perspective. Many of us wondered why Rita always acted so angry or insensitive. Martha’s feel like they have responsibility towards the family they serve, yet have a hate towards them. The same applies to their relationship with handmaids, despite wanting the handmaids to give birth and provide the family with all the perks a baby brings. I think a lot of the resentment Rita felt came from a fear that they would never get a baby. In the book it mentions how there were previous handmaids at the house, none of which ever got pregnant. Perhaps Rita knew that this meant Offred would be no different. As a result she felt no need to treat Offred as a prized possession or her chance for a better life. Maybe she pinned the blame for their baby-less history on the handmaids, or maybe she even suspected the commander was sterile, despite this being heresy in the eyes of the law. Either way, she feared a lot, and I’m certain one of the most influential fears was that they would never have a baby to improve their life, her in particular. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Jezebels:Misunderstood

I had the experience of going in front of my class as Moira and answering questions about myself and the jezebels. It felt more like testifying in front of a court, defending every action, choice, and belief. Moira is a strong character in the story, constantly fighting for her beliefs. It’s true that being a jezebel isn’t the victory she wants, but it’s something to hold on to, a step up compared to the rest of society. Moira fought the system to gain more freedom, and I think it’s safe to say that many other jezebels did as well. She and the others are still trapped, but they at least have some more control over their bodies and how they handle their life. I’d hope that it isn’t the end for them, that maybe they can use their time as a jezebels as a stepping stone towards something better. It can be that, which is why I don’t believe Moira is in the same position handmaids are. Maybe she is trapped, but at least she tried to escape the oppressive laws of the regime. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Speculative Fiction and The Handmaid’s Tale

Human beings are prone to speculating. We like things to make sense. When they don’t there is chaos. That’s why we speculate, to make the ideas and tiny points of data, that we know little about, make sense. It’s even better when our speculation becomes a story, able to entertain and influence the minds of others. This is what some books, like The Handmaid’s Tale, are. They are works of fiction, set in a future with elements speculated from what we have and know now, as well as what we imagine and promise ourselves the future brings.  There are several details in The Handmaid’s Tale that qualify it as speculative fiction. For one, there is technology not so far fetched that we enter the realms of science fiction, but advanced enough to be a plausible in the setting of the book. The book was published in 1986, and the setting seems to be 10-20 years into the future, around late 90s into the 2000s. The technology mentioned is often referred to as “Compu_____”, because they are computerized devices and services available at this time. Many of these mentioned devices are similar to actual technology we have today. For example, the “compubank” is similar to computerized banking and transactions we have today. A “computalk” is probably some sort of cell phone.  The Handmaid’s Tale is also qualified as speculative fiction by its political setting and parallels to the political sphere at the time of writing. It also hold strong parallels with political opinions today. Radical Christian elements, such as Westboro Baptist Church, exist today and advocate much of what is law in the state of Gilead. Gilead also strongly opposes abortion, considering it a crime punishable by death. Unfortunately there are some people today that share and support these views. Even tough they make up a nearly insignificant portion of the population, abortion is still an issue of much debate, causing party lines to splinter, attacks on people and property, and alliances to be forged and broken in the complicated political sphere of the USA today. Another issue that permeates the novel, and is very important today is feminism. Feminism was an influential force into the early 1980s, just around the time this book was written. The Handmaid’s Tale features mention of marches and other feminist activities before the founding of Gilead. Issues of women’s rights are frequently mentioned and discussed among characters. Given the nature of the book itself, it could be labeled as feminist or women’s literature as well.  Overall, Margaret Atwood did an amazing job incorporating parts of the modern day political sphere, technology, and belief (faith/religion) into The Handmaid’s Tale. Her speculations are without a doubt extremely dystopian, but thank god they’re fiction; speculative fiction. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Animal Farm - Farm Animal

After going around and talking to people about Animal Farm, I realized that a lot of people probably won’t like it. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of people love it. These days though, many people don’t want to read a book that is actually about politics, let alone farm animals. It doesn’t help that I start to feel like a door-to-door Jehovah’s Witness when trying to convince people to read it. It’s like you’ve lost them from the first second, no chance. I think that when most people say they’d read it, they’re either being indifferent, or honest. Either way, at least someone want to read it. It’s actually a really good book. The entire book is well written (obviously, we’re talking about Orwell) as a metaphor for Communist Russia. Each character’s personality, little twists of irony, and the gradual onset of totalitarianism draw a reader in and complete the picture. While others may not like it, I loved this book. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Literary merit?

Literary merit is not and cannot be absolutely defined, unless its definition is absolute to its creator. In other words, literary merit is not defined by a bunch of old white guys and girls with a masters degree in a conference room, or anyone for that matter. Literary merit is subjective, just like our definition of art. However, there were limiters to this when defining art, and I suspect we will find the same for the argument of literary merit. Literary merit is defined by you for you and those that accept your definition. 

Considering that, what do we make of the question “Does Different Seasons by Stephen King have literary merit?” The answer is we don’t. I do, and so do you by following your own criteria. I consider Different Seasons to be worthy of literary merit. The book itself was engaging and insightful. It did what a story should do, immerse me in it. In each story, I found myself feeling awe, suspense, disgust, joy, and relief. I’d cheer on Andy, tremble at the thought of Todd, or get irritated at Vern. And that’s only the surface. Books should make you feel emotion! Apt Pupil really gave me some chills. It wasn’t scary, it was just creepy. The story got me thinking about “what ifs?” and how realistic it could be. Overall, I found each story in the book drew me in and got me thinking. Each one entertained me, gave me insight, and changed things up. I believe Different Seasons is worthy of literary merit. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Different Seasons

I am now a fan of Stephen King’s works, wholeheartedly. I had never read his work before, partially because I heard he was psycho or something like that. I’m glad I stopped listening. Different Seasons is an interesting idea, that four novellas can each represent a season, hence the name. Do you ever feel a certain way about each season? I mean a feeling deep in your chest or gut, like it’s literally in your heart. I do, and King managed to manifest that in each story. I felt the hopeful spring, the dark and corrupt summer, the innocent fall turned sour, and the mysterious winter full of tales. It takes a lot to bring that out in a reader, in your audience of curious and thrill-seeking people. But what was the purpose of this? I’m not sure, but perhaps it’s to create empathy for him. It’s not that King is some suffering derelict, not at all. But in order to write about pain, suffering, hope, and joy as vividly as he does, there must be something great stirring inside him. I think King is expressing himself in the way he knows best, and that's why his works reach so many, and why he is so successful. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

The Breathing Method

I could almost feel the chill of winter reading this. The story held a greater weight of grotesqueness to it, much like I felt with Apt Pupil, and as I had been expecting with King’s work. Being the shortest story in Different Seasons, I was surprised by how much I was drawn in. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to know more about the “Club”, about McCarron, the books, everything. King leaves us hanging, and that’s what makes this so good. He’s sparked my imagination more than most others have through a story. You start to think about yourself in the position of each character. I can’t think of how to properly describe it now, but the mystery of it all connects with me somehow. What I can describe is a connection to another text. A decapitated body, one that should be limp, lifeless, and cold is instead breathing steadily. That reminds me of one particular vital organ that continues to pump steadily despite it’s owner being dismembered. I immediately thought of The Tell-Tale Heart. Both stories have a miraculous occurrence, or perhaps illusion, that the dead are still in some way functioning, determined to see a task through. In this case, it’s the birth of a son. In the case of a the Tell-Tale Heart, it’s justice. A miracle and a mystery, the perfect winter tale. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

The Body

I didn’t think I’d like this story much at first. I often found myself stopping and doing other things because I thought it was getting boring, like things were taking too long. And I’d always be surprised when I fInally started reading again, only to find that the exciting parts where a paragraph or two from when I left off. Once I finally just read without stopping, I like it, a lot! I find the story unique because I seems like it’s different stories inside each other, sort of like the movie Inception if you think about it. There are layers. There’s Gordie as an Adult, then him as a kid, then the stories that he writes about himself. That got me thinking. Gordie is expressing his life as a writer, so guess who else is? King got me. I believe he is expressing experiences and ideas that he personally had through Gordie, and Gordie is doing the same in his own. Three or four levels of a story. Mind blown. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Apt Pupil

From the beginning, I knew this story wouldn’t end well. the way the old man and his house was described, it made me suspect that he would be the end of Todd. In a way I was right. The story of Todd and Dussander is one of the creepiest I’ve read, mostly because it doesn’t seem so far fetched. This is not the horror of monsters, zombies, and possession. This is the horror of a very real human capacity for evil. As I was reading I thought, “Could this give insight into mass shootings and terrorism?” Perhaps it could. What if these real world occurrences stem from an interest, small and harmless to begin with? As Weiskopf asked of Richler, “Have you ever thought that maybe the boy began with a simple interest in the camps? An interest not much different from the interests of boys who collect coins or stamps or who like to read about Wild West desperados?” It’s possible. These days so many people seem fine, flying under the radar, until they snap and go out guns blazing, literally. There have been countless shooters and young teens turned terrorist, many with family that never noticed the change. That’s what is so disturbing about this story. Even more disturbing is that the relationship between Todd and Dussander makes you realize how powerfully people can influence you. What seems harmless to begin with can end up molding you, changing you from the inside out. Todd became a whole different person. His interactions with Dussander changed him from an “Apt Pupil” into a psychotic sadist. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

I’ve never read Stephen King’s work until now, and everything I had heard made me expect a gruesome and dark story. Yes, that’s what this story was like, but it seemed unusually tame as well. The content itself fit the dark and horrific narrative I expected, but it was all in the background. It was all past occurrences that were told in mild detail. Instead, I found a story about a man wrongfully accused for the murder of his wife and her lover. And then the man finds friendship, opportunity, and finally freedom. I was surprised to find that this story wasn’t so dark, except for the  facts of murder and oppression that constantly loomed over the story. A happy ending, that pretty much tops it off. A pretty good story, with some dark themes, but mostly a hopeful theme as Andy and Red find freedom.

[mohiuddin-baig]

Indie Read - Animal Farm

Yes, I chose a book about animals. But this isn’t just any farm story. Animal Farm was written by George Orwell and published in 1945. The story begins on Manor Farm with Old Major, a very old pig that has a vision of a world where animals rule over themselves and reap the full benefits of their produce. The animals take this to heart and remember it, especially since Old Major was seen as being wise, and was close to death. The farmer, Mr. Jones, falls on hard times and turns to drunkenness. As a result, he neglects maintaining the farm. Remembering what Old Major said, the animals rise up, chasing Mr. Jones off the farm, and renaming it “Animal Farm.” Since the farm must keep running, all the animals agree that the pigs should take charge (being the smartest). The two pigs that assume leadership are named Snowball and Napoleon. Life is good, until Snowball is chased off the farm, and the pigs realize the power they have over the other animals. Gradually, the farm becomes just as it was under Mr. Jones, a wreck. The pigs become indistinguishable in the eyes of the other animals from Mr. Jones, and other humans that they so harshly rejected in the beginning. The farm is, in every way, again known as Manor Farm. If you didn’t catch it in my summary, you’ll surely identify this while reading the book. The “Animal Farm” resembles a certain world power during World War II, a world power that continued to exist until around 1989 or 1990. George Orwell purposely wrote Animal Farm to portray the reality of the Soviet Union, from its inception through its rule under Stalin during World War II. In fact, it was hard for him to get the book published because of this. Many publishers didn’t want to publish anything anti-Soviet because of the alliance shared with the Soviet Union. It was only after the European campaign ended that Orwell was able to get Animal Farm published. 

So now that you have some understanding of the book, here’s my experience with it. 

Animal Farm is, in my opinion, an incredibly insightful piece that shows Orwell’s mastery of language and rhetoric. It’s been crafted with great detail and life, worth more than the typical 140 pages of writing. Having read the preface and introduction, I already knew that it was about Orwell’s view of Communism, and more specifically the USSR. However, I found myself so immersed in a story about animals that I often forgot this, finding myself being brought back with distinct references to Soviet Communism, such as the use of the term “Comrade”, and a point where Napoleon is showing off the farm, set up to look successful. This instantly reminded me of the story of Stalin and the Chicken. I also identified who a few of the Characters represented. For example, Old Major represents Karl Marx. The pigs represent the Soviet leaders and elite, leading the revolution and maintaining the power of the state. Napoleon as the leader is Stalin. The sheep are, well...sheep. When I finished reading I thought, “Wait, where’s Lenin?” At first I assumed that Snowball was Lenin, but throughout the book Napoleon claimed him to be alive, actively sabotaging the efforts of the “Animal Farm”. This left me puzzled. After doing some research online, I figured out that Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, who became a contestant to Stalin and his policies. As a result he was exiled and order to be killed, just like Snowball. Snowball also had elements of Lenin thrown in, which explains the initial confusion over his role.

Animal Farm is a very powerful novel, despite being so short. It fully encapsulates the dark side of the Soviet Union, and stands out for doing this so creatively and effectively. It was definitely worth my time, and I would recommend anyone to read it. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

AP Lang Research Project - Change Please provide feedback by answering the following questions at #aplang15change              1) Has this impacted your view of the world around us?

2) What do you want to change in our world?

3) Will you join others, and build a relationship with them, to make a change?

[mohiuddin-baig]

Rebel Without A Cause...More Like Rebel With A Cause

Ahhh...Rebel Without A Cause. That classic movie that started the whole “teen rebellion” genre of films. What a great actor that James Dean! I mean wow! Jokes, sarcasm, and criticism aside, it shouldn't be overlooked. It definitely was not the best movie I’ve watched, but it probably wasn't the norm of it’s time. Today we have countless movies, books, and TV shows that focus solely on teen angst and rebellion, but the same can’t be said about 50′s America. With this movie, the focus shifted more towards the youth, and youth took greater power. The 50′s were the start of the era of rebellion, an era that hasn't come to an end, but has ebbed and flowed. We’re still experiencing it today. With social media leading the way, we may be entering a new height in this era of rebellion. So we know this movie changed a lot of things, but why? Being one of this first teen flicks can’t be the only answer.  When I watched this movie with my group, I really wondered what’s so special about this film. We all did. In fact, we found the movie so boring and pointless that we started making fun of it. We pointed out “Cinema Sins”, how weird some of the acting was, and just the overall mediocrity of it. We even concluded that Jim Stark (James Dean) HAD A CAUSE, which completely contradicts the title of the movie. It makes you wonder if there was some intended irony behind the name, or if everyone was too closed minded and white collared to think teens had a sensible reason for everything they do, at least in their own mind. The cause we saw was his constant feeling of powerlessness. He was constantly bullied, challenged, and lied to or about. The only cause he didn't have was one for conforming, a cause that would make him a “productive member of society” in the eyes of his parents and other superiors and/or a bad-ass greaser in everyone else’s. When you really look at it, his cause and all the issues he faced are what make the movie special. For the first time, people saw the classic set of teen problems, such as peer issues, family issues, love, and loss portrayed in that setting, the life of a teenager. These are all things that many teens dealt with then and deal with now, and that probably allowed many to connect to James and love him as more than just an actor. He became a fellow victim, a comrade. Is this the answer to this movie’s success? Perhaps it is. Capture the heart of your audience, and you will go far, and that’s just what James Dean did.  To sum it all up, the movie was not the most entertaining, but it’s clear the effect that it had. Teens probably connected at least a little with James and the other actors, and probably were inspired to be themselves, rebellious to the core. The same teen troubles in the movie carried over to modern day media. It’s always about peer issues, family issues, love, and loss. These ideas do play some role in the lives of everyday teenagers, but they mostly make up the teenage stereotype, and this fuels the vast market we have today for teen movies and TV shows. So now we know the similarities exist, but to what extent, and what else is there? That’ll have to wait till part 2. 

Next Up: Easy A. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Hi Kreinbring!

http://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm 

Language as a means of enslavement. Language both spoken and written can be used for harm, such as oppressing or enslaving people, but written language has a particularly strong effect. The extent of this varies, and the claim that some forms of writing enslave people may rely on the perspective of a person. An example such as Jim Crow laws oppressed people, and the residue of their presence still exists today. I consider them oppressive and enslaving language, but a white supremacist might not. An anarchist might consider all US laws oppressive, though I and many others do not. Regardless, someone will always feel oppressed by writing, and others will feel liberated and/or support it. Writing is tricky because of this. It’s a double edged sword, and it has the ability to free people while irritating and even oppressing others.

[mohiuddin-baig]

Conquered

Kincaid states that she had long ago been conquered, meaning there is no use in fighting. A time I had similarly been conquered was an argument (I prefer not to give specific details.) The opposing party held power over me because of their relation to me. In a sense they had already conquered me, and so I couldn't really fight a war against them. There was no way. I had to accept what they wanted to do, and that was that.